SPLA-IO spokesman claims ‘enemies’ faked his voice over damning phone call leak

JUBA – The spokesman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) Brigadier General Gatjiath Deng has denied authenticity of a damning audio obtained by Sudans Post on Monday in which the senior opposition officer spoke to an unidentified caller revealing details of his recent trip to Juba.

In the audio, General Gatjiath could be heard telling an unidentified caller that he was invited to Juba by President Salva Kiir’s regime to represent General Simon Gatwech Dual in a talk chaired by national security chief General Akol Koor Kuc to possibly plan removal of Machar, President Salva Kiir’s own peace partner and first deputy.

“What they (General Akol Koor and other security officials during the meeting) said is that ‘go and mobilize your people and we will then make sure that you have power that can oppose this man (Riek Machar). If you remove him, we will came and sit in front of you in Magenis. When you remove him, we will not change the peace agreement’s implementation timeline. We will go based on the peace agreement. What we hate is this man (Riek Machar) alone, if you remove him, nothing will ever go wrong in all your requests,'” he said in the audio.

“What we want is that if you remove him (Riek Machar), we will then tell Dr. Riek Machar that you have been rejected by your people and there is no need for us to return to war, so, you resign and then we will give them what was given to them by the peace agreement [position of First Vice President] and other positions including the nine ministerial positions,” he said of what was told him in the meeting.

However, reacting to the publication of the audio by Sudans Post, General Gatjiath described the audio as a doctored audio he said perpetuated by the enemies and urged supporters of the SPLM-IO to disregard it and said the reason behind the audio was because some people are not happy with his recent return to the SPLA-IO General Headquarters in Magenis from Juba.

“The SPLA (IO) office of information would like to inform the public that, the recorded voice being sent to social media is fake and it’s a photoshop and It has been created by the enemy, especially those who were unhappy with my coming back to the HQs. It has to be regarded as fake news of the day,” he said.